The Rose He Killed novel Chapter 309

Chapter 269: The Anniversary-2

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I carefully lowered him into his crib, tucking his blanket around him, and slipped out of the room, closing the door halfway.

I walked back down the stairs and returned to the empty kitchen, where the ingredients were still waiting on the counter. Ever since having a family, I had forced myself to be more hands-on. I could cook a few simple dishes well now-like the roast chicken I had made for Olivier. But pasta was a different story.

I set my phone up against the knife block and opened YouTube, clicking on a video titled Easy Authentic Carbonara.

“Alright,” I muttered, pressing play. “How hard can it be?”

The chef on the screen made it look effortless. I grabbed the knife and started chopping the guanciale. I put the pan on the stove, cranking the heat up, and threw the meat in. Almost instantly, the fat began to pop, splattering hot oil violently across the stove.

“Ow! Damn it,” I hissed, jumping back as a hot droplet of grease burned my wrist.

I scrambled to turn the heat down, but the kitchen was already filling with thin, white smoke. I waved my hands in front of the smoke detector, praying it wouldn’t go off.

I looked back at my phone. The video was already moving on to the egg mixture. I cracked three eggs into a bowl, but a large piece of brown shell slipped right into the yolk. I spent the next three minutes chasing the tiny speck with a spoon, growling under my breath as it kept sliding away.

“This is a complete disaster,” I muttered, rubbing the bridge of my nose.

The pasta water began to boil over, sending thick, starchy foam spilling over the sides of the pot and sizzling onto the hot burner. I rushed to slide the pot over, splashing hot water across my knuckles.

By the time I drained the pasta and tossed it with the egg and cheese, the pan was still too hot. The eggs immediately curdled, turning into yellow clumps. I stared at the plates of scrambled-egg pasta in complete defeat.

At exactly seven o’clock, the kitchen door swung open. Bella walked in, wearing a comfortable gray sweater and jeans, her hair pulled back in a simple clip.

She stopped at the kitchen entrance, her eyes taking in the smoky air, the messy counters, and the two plates of clumped pasta on the table.

“You cooked again,” she said, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “What’s that?”

“Pasta,” I said, wiping my hands on a dish towel.

Bella burst out laughing, a rich, genuine sound that filled the room. “Caleb, your pasta skills are absolutely

terrible.”

“I tried to follow a YouTube recipe,” I admitted, pulling out her chair for her. “But the stove had other plans. I should stick to chicken.”

“Definitely,” she teased, sitting down and pouring herself a glass of wine. “But I love it anyway.”

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Chapter 260 The Anniversary 2

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We sat across from each other under the dim, flickering candlelight of the emergency candles I’d dug out of the drawer

“So,” I said, leaning forward and resting my forearms on the table, a playful smile on my face. “No business talk tonight. I want real family gossip. How is Olivier’s love life?”

Bella sighed, taking a slow sip of her wine. “Nonexistent. Ever since he broke up with Camille Fontaine, his love life has been completely dead. The man practically lives in his office. I don’t think he even knows what a date is anymore.”

She looked down at her glass, her thumb tracing the rim. “Honestly, Caleb, in a way, I feel responsible for that. I always feel like I was the reason they parted ways. If I hadn’t suddenly shown up and disrupted the entire family dynamic, Camille wouldn’t have started scheming, and they might still be together.”

“No, Bella,” I said firmly, reaching across the table to cover her hand with mine. “Don’t do that. You shouldn’t blame yourself. Camille was a subtle schemer from the Start. Olivier didn’t leave because of you -he simply chose his family over a girl who would have ruined it.”

“I suppose you’re right,” she murmured, leaning into my touch. “He’s far too stiff, but he has his priorities straight.”

“What about Enzo?” I asked.

“Enzo is a different story entirely,” Bella chuckled, her amber eyes instantly shifting from serious back to amused. “He spends half his time arguing with art gallery owners in Paris and the other half having dramatic, public meltdowns over the quality of his morning espresso. He’s completely chaotic, but I love him for it.”

“Sounds like he keeps you entertained,” I grinned. “And how is your best friend? What’s happening with Maya?”

“Maya is far too busy running her pediatric clinic to even think about dating,” Bella said, setting her glass down. “Between that and trying to keep up with your sister, she has zero free time.”

“Well, as for Diana, she has officially bowed off love,” I chuckled, taking a sip of my own wine. “She told me last week that she is married to her art now and men are ‘too much admin’.”

Bella laughed so hard she had to lean back in her chair. “She actually said ‘too much admin’?”

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“Word for word,” I smiled. “She said she prefers her peace.”

The kitchen grew darker as the candles slowly burned down to small stubs. Finally, Bella set her empty glass down, her expression turning soft and serious as she looked across the table at me.

“Caleb,” she said quietly. “With everything that has happened lately… finding my father, my real father, having brothers, and surviving all of this… I want to renew our vows.”

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